Venting apparatus
A venting apparatus is disclosed herein. The venting apparatus comprises a substrate, such as a metal substrate or a specialty plastic substrate, having an opening therein and a fluoropolymer membrane, such as ePTFE, disposed over said opening and thermally bonded using a thermoplastic material to said substrate. This allows the fluoropolymer membrane to be directly bonded to the said substrate without using an adhesive layer.
1. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a substrate having an opening therein;
(b) a fluoropolymer membrane disposed over said opening; and
(c) a thermoplastic material provided between said fluoropolymer membrane and said substrate;
wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material selected from the group consisting of glass filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); polypthalamides (PPA); acetal homopolymers; thermoset epoxies; and combinations thereof; and
wherein the fluoropolymer membrane is thermally bonded to the substrate by the thermoplastic material.
2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said fluoropolymer membrane is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylenepropylene, and perfluoroalkoxy polymer.
3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said fluoropolymer membrane is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.
4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said apparatus does not comprise an adhesive layer between said substrate and said fluoropolymer membrane.
5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene (EFEP), tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene vinylidene fluoride (THV), poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoro-propylene) (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), ethylene tetratfluorothethylene (ETFE), and blends of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and nitrile rubber.
6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material is at least partially wetted into said fluoropolymer membrane.
7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material comprises a colorant.
8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material comprises an opening that is aligned with the opening of the substrate.
9. A method of assembling a venting apparatus comprising:
providing a thermoplastic material between a fluoropolymer membrane and a substrate having an opening therein; and
thermally bonding said fluoropolymer membrane to said substrate by heating said thermoplastic material at a temperature from 250° C. to 500° C.
wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material selected from the group consisting of glass filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); polypthalamides (PPA); acetal homopolymers; thermoset epoxies; and combinations thereof.
10. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the thermally bonding step is not greater than 15 seconds.